


lux aeterna

by DecemberCamie



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Angst, Canon Universe, Comfort, Don't copy to another site, First Aid, Hostage Situations, Kissing, M/M, Post-Canon, Protectiveness, Rescue Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:35:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25573714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DecemberCamie/pseuds/DecemberCamie
Summary: Galo’s life has slowly been shifting these last few months since the Earth’s rebirth.The center of Galo’s universe is no longer Kray Foresight and the burning desire to prove himself to his hero. No, now Galo’s life revolves around a brilliant and incredible man, an ex-Leader of the very organization Galo used to fight against, someone who is just as passionate about saving lives and helping others as Galo himself.And maybe that’s why Galo is having such a hard time processing what happened today. Because Lio is precious to Galo. And if Galo lost Lio, Galo would be lost, too.
Relationships: Lio Fotia & Gueira & Meis, Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 12
Kudos: 214





	lux aeterna

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Quintessence](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quintessence/gifts).



Medical procedures are methodical, easy. Galo can recite them half-asleep, backwards, hanging upside down with his mouth stuffed with pizza. The most important thing is to keep a level of professionalism when giving medical treatment—no matter who the patient is, no matter how they’re suffering, no matter how badly they are panicking, it’s Galo’s job to make sure he takes care of their injuries and helps ease their pain any way he can.

It’s different, though, when the person he’s giving medical treatment to is Lio Fotia.

Galo is silent as he peels back the bandage, careful to keep his hands steady. He doesn’t let himself think too much about why he’s treating Lio. If he does, he won’t be able to keep up his usual level of focus. And even though all Lio has is a thin cut on his neck and a few other minor scrapes, Galo  _ will _ do his job as the world’s number one firefighting hero and he  _ will  _ take care of Lio like he would anyone else—

“You’re very quiet.”

...if Lio will let him, that is.

Galo lets out a long sigh. “Just—stay still. If I have to rip this off it won’t be fun.”

Lio hums in confirmation. He opens a single magenta eye to stare at Galo and Galo does his best to school his face into a neutral expression. Lio doesn’t need to know how Galo really feels. He doesn’t need to know that Galo is the furthest thing from calm, that fury simmers under his skin like a volcano about to erupt.

But, no,  _ this is not about him.  _

Galo has to follow through with the standard medical procedure. So he does. Step one, clean the wound. Two, apply disinfectant. Three, cover the injury. 

With all the other steps applied and the wrappings on the bandage peeled off, Galo carefully lays the band aid across the injury on Lio’s neck. His hands are perfectly steady as he applies the bandage, showing no sign of the emotions raging in his heart.

“There,” he says as he pulls away. “You should be all good to go now.”

Lio touches the bandage with his fingertips. “This is a pretty big band-aid, Galo. Are you sure it’s necessary?”

“‘Course it is! Out of the two of us, I think I know a bit more about medical expertise than you, Mister Mad Burnish Leader.”

Lio scoffs, rolling his eyes. “No one calls me that anymore. And that’s not what I meant. I was just thinking—with a bandage this large, won’t people start to wonder if I'm hiding something?”

Galo frowns. “What would you be hiding? It’s just a cut.”

“Yes, it is just a cut. But it is summer out there, you know. And during summer most people can’t wear longer clothing to hide certain...marks.”

All at once, Galo understands. And all at once, heat rushes to his cheeks in a dizzying wave. “L-Lio! Hey, that was  _ one time,  _ okay, I’ve gotten way better at hiding your hickies now!”

Lio laughs quietly and lowers his hand. His eyes are sparkling and he’s giving Galo that small but genuine smile Galo loves so much. “It’s still one time I’ll never live down. We were the talk of the Burning Rescue Team for a  _ week.” _

“Yeah, well…” Galo looks off to the side, lips pursed. “Like I said, I’ve gotten better.”

Soft fingers grab his chin. Galo lets Lio turn his head to face him again and is greeted with gentle magenta eyes. “I know that. I was teasing you. Okay? No harm done.”

He leans in and Galo can’t help the way his eyes flutter shut just before their lips touch. He curls a hand around the back of Lio’s head and threads his fingers through silky short hair. Lio’s lips curl against his and for a moment, Galo forgets. He forgets the ordeal of this afternoon and why he had to bandage Lio. He forgets why there are bruises and other small cuts littering Lio’s hands and arms. Everything fades away until all that’s left is  _ Lio _ , the taste of his mouth pressed to Galo’s and the feel of him in Galo’s arms.

But then Galo’s tongue brushes against Lio’s bottom lip, runs over the deep cut there, and Galo freezes. Just like that, everything comes rushing back to him, and Galo can’t breathe.

“Galo?” Lio pulls back, hand still curled around one of Galo’s shoulders. “Hey. What’s wrong? You froze all of a sudden.”

“Nothing, it’s…” Galo breathes in deep. Calm. He has to be  _ calm _ . “It’s nothing. Really.”

“It doesn’t sound like nothing.” Lio’s eyes narrow. “Is this about what happened earlier? I told you it wasn’t a big deal.”

“Yeah, exactly! So I’m not worrying about it. I’m fine.”

Lio lets out a heavy sigh. He withdraws his hands and Galo mourns the loss. “You are most definitely  _ not _ fine. I can see it written all over your face. You’re still upset.”

Galo’s will cracks, just a little. “I—I just...how can you  _ not _ be upset? That guy was about to seriously hurt you and you’re acting like you just tripped in the park on your way home or somethin’!”

“I’ve been in highly tense situations before. This wasn’t anything new or exciting.”

“He was going to  _ kill you,  _ Lio. He was going to do it right there, with me watching, and I just—I  _ can’t—” _

“Galo.”

Lio’s cool hands are back, cupping Galo’s face and stroking his cheeks with his thumbs. Lio looks at him with all the concern in the world, like  _ Galo  _ is the one who had a knife to his neck just an hour ago, like Galo had been the one in danger, like Galo had been the one who’s life was almost been ripped away—and maybe Lio is right.

Because Galo’s life has slowly been shifting these last few months since the Earth’s rebirth. The center of Galo’s universe is no longer Kray Foresight and the burning desire to prove himself to his hero. No, now Galo’s life revolves around a brilliant and incredible man, an ex-Leader of the very organization Galo used to fight against, someone who is just as passionate about saving lives and helping others as Galo himself.

And maybe  _ that’s  _ why Galo is having such a hard time processing what happened today. Because Lio is precious to Galo. And if Galo lost Lio, Galo would be lost, too.

**-o0o-**

“Hey, have you guys seen Lio?” Galo asks as he thumbs through a magazine.

It’s a slow day at work with no calls and no immediate projects to work on. Most of the new homes for the ex-Burnish need permits before they can be built and permits take time to process. So the Burning Rescue team has had all the time in the world lately to kick back and take a breather.

Which makes him wonder just where Lio ran off to. Galo remembers Lio leaning into his side for a good part of the morning, tapping away on the iPad Galo had lent him. Galo had spent the whole time sneaking little peeks at Lio and smiling at the way his brow crinkled and his lip jut out in a pout. Something warm and soft fluttered inside Galo’s chest, and—

“Wasn’t he with you last?” comes Remi’s grumble. “You two are usually attached at the hip.”

Galo glances up. Remi is sitting across the room at the Burning Rescue’s shared computer, Aina at his side. They’ve been glaring at the monitor for hours and neither of them look happy at the interruption.

“He was,” Galo says, scratching his chin. “But it’s been a while since he got up. And I didn’t see where he went.”

Aina rubs a hand down the side of her face. “I thought I saw him go into the kitchen? Maybe you should check there.”

Galo grins, shutting the magazine and standing. “Thanks, Aina!”

She waves her hand, eyes narrowed at the screen. Galo strides past them to the kitchen. Varys is sitting at the table with Lucia as he cuts into a leftover slice of pizza.

“I’m tellin’ you, that won’t work,” Varys says and Lucia actually  _ hisses  _ at him. “There’s not enough money left in the budget for that kind of thing—”

“Hey, guys!” Galo chirps. “Can I ask you somethin’?”

Lucia sighs and gives him a look. “Galo, we were right in the middle of a conversation.”

“Yeah, but this’ll only take like, thirty seconds max. Have either of you seen Lio? Aina said he came in here a while ago.”

Varys frowns. “Wasn’t he with you? You two are always together.”

“Well, yeah, he was. But he’s not anymore, so…”

“I saw him pass by through here a bit ago?” Lucia says. “He was talking to his phone and had that super concentrated look on his face and everything. He’s kind of scary when he gets like that, you know.”

It’s Galo’s turn to frown. His phone? Had Lio gotten a call from Meis and Gueria? Lio’s generals had been dispatched to pick up some paperwork from town hall about the new Burnish homes, so maybe they got caught up there with a problem and needed Lio’s advice?

But, no, that still doesn’t make any sense. Even if it was a call from Meis and Gueria, Lio would have taken it in the main room. It didn’t matter that the Burning Rescue team was around, Lio had talked to Meis and Gueira in there plenty of times before.

Still. It’s worth asking, right?

“Was he talking to Meis and Geurina?”

Varys shakes his head. “Nah, they called the landline earlier to say they were heading over here in the afternoon. Don’t think they’d call a second time.”

Okay, now  _ that _ is weird. Who else calls Lio besides his two generals and the Burning Rescue team? Sure, he’s the Leader of the Mad Burnish, representative for all ex-Burnish across the city, but no one has his direct number. It’s dangerous, actually, for too many people to have access to Lio. Plenty of citizens hate the Burnish and resent their newfound welcome into society.

So, who was Lio talking to then?

“Galo, you’re thinking too hard,” Lucia says. “Maybe he just wanted a bit of fresh air!”

...wait. What?

“What?” Galo says aloud.

“I said, maybe he just wanted—”

“No, no, I got that. I meant—did he go outside? Did he leave the building?”

Varys points to the door opposite Galo. “He went through there a few minutes ago, I think. He hasn’t come back yet but...”

Galo stares as Varys’s explanation fades into the background. The door is an emergency exit leading to the stairwell outside. If Lio isn’t in the living room, and he hadn’t left the kitchen, then Varys must be right. Lio has to have left through that door.

But, why?  _ It didn’t make any sense. _

Galo strides towards the door. Lucia and Varys call after him, but he doesn’t answer. He’s starting to get a bad feeling about all this, a twisting in his stomach and a sinking in his gut. Things aren’t matching up and Lio doesn’t work like that. He plans things down to a T, has backup plans for backup plans. And he knows Galo inside and out, knows Galo would notice his absence and go looking for him. 

So why didn’t Lio say anything when he left the building?

Galo throws open the door and is welcomed with a rush of fresh summer air. The staircase curves down, ending in a small alleyway between this building and the next. There’s no one in the alley but that doesn’t mean Lio isn’t still out here somewhere.

Galo takes the stairs down two at a time. His heart is racing, palms growing sweaty. Adrenaline floods his veins as he casts his gaze around for any sign, any hint of where Lio could have gone—

_ CRACK! _

“AUGH—!”

Galo’s blood runs cold. That sound—it was a scream. A very awful, very familiar sounding scream.

He takes off, jumping down the last set of steps. He lands on the concrete hard and pain ricochets through his legs at the impact. But he doesn’t stop, doesn’t pause. He pumps his arms and he  _ runs _ . 

Because that scream is Lio’s. What if he’s in trouble and needs Galo’s help? What if—?

Galo rounds the corner of the alley and that’s when he sees them.

A man has Lio in his arms, dragging him back towards the street. Lio is unconscious, his head lolling to the side. His face is cut and scuffed with dirt, little bruises scattering his skin.

Fury roars in Galo’s chest like a volcano erupting.

“HEY!” he shouts and the man looks up. “Hey, just where do you think you’re—?”

The man takes off in a run, dragging Lio with him. Shock washes over Galo but the next second he’s taking off. He puts his head down, runs faster than he ever has in his entire life.

Because that man has Lio. What he wants with Lio and why he has him doesn’t matter, because Galo would sooner quit his job than give up the best thing to come into his life so far.

He’s quickly closing the distance between them. Lio is a deadweight for the man and Galo has years of firefighting training to rely on. The man tries ducking this way and that through the back streets behind the city buildings but Galo refuses to slow down, to hesitate. His mind has narrowed to focus on a single goal—the blond of Lio’s hair, the orange color of his Burning Rescue uniform. Galo won’t lose sight of them.

When Galo is about ten feet away, the man turns. He has a knife pressed to Lio’s pale throat. 

Galo skids to a stop. His chest heaves, his legs shake. He doesn’t move so much as an inch as he and the man stare each other down across the space—because one wrong move could easily lead to Lio bleeding out on the concrete.

Slowly, Galo raises his hands. The man doesn’t budge, just breathes heavily and holds the knife firmly to Lio’s neck. It’s interesting—Galo’s been in these sort of situations before. People sometimes think it’s better to jump out of the building and fall four or more stories instead of getting on the Burning Rescue ship to be brought to safety. But those people are usually on the verge of a breakdown, sweating profusely and in near hysterics as they contemplate their options.

This man…he’s not like that. He’s completely and totally calm.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” Galo calls out. His voice echoes off the building walls, crashes back onto his ears. “I’m not here to do anything to you. I just want you to let him go.”

“Why?”

Galo pauses, brow furrowing. Why? What did he mean,  _ why? _

“Because...he’s important. A lot of people will be upset if you hurt him.”

The man throws his head back with a laugh. It’s cold, void of any amusement. The sound sends a chill down Galo’s spine but still he stands firm.

“Yeah, well, he’s important to me, too.” The man grabs a fistful of blond hair, yanking Lio’s head back to expose more of his pale throat. “And I’m not about to hand him over to some idiot who thinks ex-Burnish are friendly, innocent civilians.”

“He  _ is  _ a friend,” Galo says, using every bit of willpower in his body to keep his voice calm. He has to be patient. No matter how badly he wants to rush over there and snatch Lio back, he can’t. These situations are delicate, even Galo knows that.

And he’s getting a feeling this is more personal than some random hostage situation.

“Ex-Burnish can’t be friends with a firefighter. It’s contradictory.”

“It’s not,” Galo insists. “He’s saved my life. He’s saved the whole  _ world _ . The Burnish—”

“The Burnish are killers!” the man hisses and the chill turns Galo’s blood to ice. “They’ve murdered and killed hundreds of civilians living their regular lives! They burned down business, set off explosions—they never cared about saving anyone but themselves!”

Galo eyes the man as his shoulders heave. His face is red, eyes bulging. Gone is the calm from before. It’s just as Galo thought—this man is after Lio specifically. This man must be one of the anti-Burnish supporters, most likely an extremist.

Galo drifts his gaze to Lio. This man could seriously hurt him. He must have been the one to call Lio, to lure Lio out to the alleyway behind the Burning Rescue building. He probably ambushed Lio and took him by surprise.

But this man hadn’t counted on someone coming to Lio’s rescue. And Galo isn’t about to let Lio become a martyr for his own kind.

“…you’re angry,” Galo says and the man laughs again. “I get it. Really, I do. My whole family was killed in a Burnish awakening. But blaming Lio isn’t gonna bring anything or anyone back.”

“Letting him roam free isn’t going to save anyone, either. He’s their Leader, he’s the one who sets the example, he’s the one—”

“Lio has a code! He swore to never hurt anyone,  _ ever!” _

“And what a great job he did keeping that oath, huh? He lit the whole city on fire. He threatened to burn it all down for his own kind. A few hundred Burnish for thousands of innocents.”

“He didn’t, though! He stopped, he—he realized he was out of control and he stopped. And you should do the same.”

The man shakes his head and staggers a step back. Galo immediately follows, hand outstretched—

“Hey! You stay back.” The man presses the knife harder to Lio’s neck. A thin strip of red appears, a drop of blood running down the length of Lio’s throat. Galo suddenly has a hard time catching his breath. 

“I’m not out of control,” the man says between ragged breaths. “I know  _ exactly  _ what I’m doing, just like he did. And if I get punished for it, that’s okay. I’m doing what the government should have done a while ago. I’m taking out the Leader. I’m ending his reign of terror.”

Galo grits his teeth. “Lio isn’t a terrorist! Kray Foresight used that language to trick people into exiling the Burnish.”

“What part of  _ ‘burning the city down’ _ don’t you get, firefighter?! This guy is dangerous. He’s a menace to society. He’s hurt people, no matter his ‘code’, and I’m gonna right his wrongs.” The man looks at Lio, eyes wide and gleaming. “He’s not going to hurt anyone after this.”

Galo doesn’t beg—not in the real sense, anyway. He’s pleaded for the last slice of pizza on the pizza tray, argued with Ignis over staying on for one last shift, encouraged Lucia to build him the latest and greatest most epic looking Maoti tech ever. But he’s never gotten down on his knees, lifted his hands to the sky, and begged with everything he has.

Galo is about to do just that, though. Because this is  _ Lio Fotia _ and there will never be another person like him in the entire universe. If Lio goes, Galo’s world would come screeching to a halt. And this man would do it, no questions asked. Galo can see it in his eyes.

“W-Wait!” Galo stammers and the man scowls at him. “Listen, I know—I know you mean business. Okay? I know you’ve got a million and ten reasons to hurt him but listen,  _ please _ . You don’t want to do this. Okay? You just don’t.”

“If your logic didn’t work earlier, you can’t think begging me is going to help now.”

“I’m not begging!” The lie tastes sour on Galo’s tongue. He pushes forward anway. “Listen. I’m trying to help you. Lio’s got—Lio’s got tons of people looking out for him. Right? He’s the Leader of the Burnish. If you kill him or hurt him, you’ll have a lotta pissed off people to answer to.”

“I don’t care about them,” the man seethes. Galo can see him shaking from the force of his anger and the panic in his own chest is making it hard to breathe. “I don’t care about the laws. I don’t care about  _ anything _ . Got it? This man has hurt thousands of people. This is justice. This is—”

“Please!” Galo bursts out. His knees are weak. He’s hot and clammy and he keeps glancing at Lio. Please let him be alright.  _ “Please. _ He’s—He’s important, okay? You can’t do this.”

The man snorted. “I get it. He’s important to the Burnish, but I don’t care about them. They’re murders, thieves, all of them. Got it? He’s not—”

“He’s important to  _ me!” _

For a long moment the man just gawks. But then he throws back his head and laughs. He laughs and laughs and laughs, until his voice cracks and he is gasping for breath. Galo clenches his jaw and tries to breathe. 

He needs back up. He needs help of any kind. This guy was calm before but he’s edging towards hysterics now and Lio can’t afford hysterics. He needs to be safe. But can Galo get his phone from his pocket without this guy noticing? He could call the emergency number if he could just look at the numbers but—

“This!” the man gasps, shaking his head wildly. “This is why the ex-Burnish are so heavily protected, huh? The hero of Promepolis is in love with the Leader of the Mad Burnish!”

Heat rises to Galo’s cheeks. He won’t deny the truth—he loves Lio, has loved him since Galo de Lion, probably even before that. Falling in love with him was as easy as eating pizza or going to sleep after a long day on the job. 

Lio is incredible. A burning soul to match Galo’s. And Galo won’t lose him, even if he has to fight off this madman on his own.

“So what if I love him?” Galo challenges. “He’s a good guy and every inch a hero as I am. He saved the earth with me.”

“That doesn’t excuse his past. Your feelings are irrelevant to his sins!” The man looks to Lio. He lifts the knife, drags the sharp edge ever so slowly across pale and bruised cheeks, traces the line of his jaw. Galo’s heart races and his nails dig into his palms. 

“If you hurt him,” Galo says quietly. “You will regret it. I promise you.”

The man snarls, “I’m not afraid of you, Galo Thymos. Get lost before I—”

“If you’re not scared of the loudmouth, maybe you’ll be scared of  _ us.” _

The man stiffens. His and Galo’s heads snap to the side, to where Meis is standing with his arms folded and a stony expression on his face. He  _ does  _ look scary—his long hair billowing in the breeze as his shadow falls on the man’s face. He looks ready to kill.

Relief floods through Galo. He thanks whatever god is out there—backup has arrived. And he didn’t even have to get his phone.

“Put the boss down,” Meis tells the man quietly. “And we won’t hurt you.”

The man sneers. “Like hell I—”

_ WHACK! _

Gueira jumps in from the other side and slams his fist into the man’s head. The man crumples to the ground as gravity takes effect and Galo throws himself forward in a sprint. He grabs Lio just before he hits the concrete, pulling Lio into his arms and cradling him to his chest.

“Is he alright?” Gueira demands as Galo quickly angles Lio’s head this way and that, checking for any damages. Meis approaches slowly from the other side, eyes dark and shoulders tense.

Galo swallows and rubs a thumb across one of Lio’s pale cheeks. There are small bruises and cuts littered across his face, a split along his bottom lip. All minimal damage but enough to cause a pit of guilt to bloom in Galo’s stomach.

“Yeah,” he says, voice rough. “He’s a little battered, but he looks alright.”

“How did this happen? I thought you said he was safe with you!”

Galo clenches his jaw. He says through his teeth, “He  _ is  _ safe with me. He got a call, the Rescue team saw him leave the office on his own. I think he was tricked.”

Gueira curses. Meis is still standing over the man, staring down at him with a strange glint in his eye.

“We’ll take care of this guy,” Meis says quietly. “You should get Lio someplace safe, clean whatever injuries he has.”

A chill runs down Galo’s spine. “What are you planning to do with him? He’s a civilian—”

Gueira hisses. “Does it really matter?! He  _ hurt  _ Boss—you saw him hold a knife to his throat! He deserves whatever punishment he gets.”

“That doesn’t mean he deserves to die!”

“We’re not going to kill him,” Meira snaps and the tightness in Galo’s chest loosens a little. “We’re going to call your team and we are going to make sure he is punished.”

Guerina is enraged. “He deserves worse than whatever the Burning Rescue team does to him!”

“He does. But Boss says no killing. We made a promise.” Meis’s eyes drift over to Lio’s still unconscious form. “And we follow what Boss says, no questions asked.”

Gueira makes an enraged sound in the back of his throat and stomps a few paces away from the group, fists in his fiery hair. Galo watches him, worry causing his heart to twist, before looking back to Meis.

“Are you sure you can keep Gueira in line?” he asks seriously and Meria nods.

“I can. Can you keep Boss safe?”

Galo’s arms tighten around Lio. “Yeah. I can.”

“Good. Because if this happens again…” Meis crouches down, eyes leveling with Galo’s. “This guy won’t be the only one facing consequences. Got it?”

Galo does get it. “Y-Yeah. I understand.”

“Good.” Meis stands again, jerking his head. “Now get out of here. We’re trusting you, Galo Thymos. Don’t let us down.”

Galo stands, Lio held protectively to his chest. He doesn’t need to be told twice before he’s taking off and racing towards his apartment. 

Lio would be safe there, in Galo’s home. Galo can treat Lio’s injuries, Galo can...Galo can keep Lio in his arms until he’s convinced Lio is alive and well. Galo can do that.

Because today Galo came much too close to losing Lio forever. And Galo didn’t think he could survive that.

**-o0o-**

Lio sighs heavily and rubs his forehead, brow furrowed. “I can take care of myself. Meis and Guerina should know that.” Lio shoots him a narrow-eyed look. “ _ You _ should know that.”

“I do know that! But this...this was different, Lio. This had me really freaked out.” Galo scoots closer to Lio on the couch, tilting his head as he tries to catch Lio’s eye. “Wouldn’t you feel the same way if it was me? If I’d been the one ambushed and was unconscious, getting threatened with a knife?”

Lio purses his lips. “I would have trusted your strength. I would have known you could protect yourself—just like I can. I don’t need anyone coming to my rescue. I’m not a damsel in distress and I don’t need a knight in shining armor—”

He turns away from Galo, a hand grasping the armrest. Galo’s eyes widen and he reaches out before he fully realizes what he’s doing. He grabs Lio’s wrist, keeping him in place.

“Woah, woah—hey.” Galo gently squeezes Lio’s wrist. “Hey. That’s not what I’m saying, and you know that.”

“Then why does it feel that way?”

“I dunno, probably because you’re physically in pain and your pride is hurt?” Galo suggests and Lio bristles.

_ “Galo—” _

“You were the one who asked! I’m just being honest with you.” 

A pause. Galo feels the hostility rolling off Lio in waves, his back hunched and his hands curled into tight fists. Galo most definitely would have been burned to a crisp by now if Lio could still call on the Promare. 

But he also hasn’t tried pulling away from Galo’s touch yet. That has to be a good sign. Right?

Galo sighs. “Listen, Lio. I know you can handle yourself. You would have kicked my butt the first day we met if I didn’t have the Burning Rescue team with me. And Meis and Gueria have known you even longer than I do—hell, they elected you their Leader! Do you really think they see you as someone in need of rescuing?”

“...no.”

Galo smiles, encouraged. “Exactly! No way, none at all! All three of us know you, Lio. We know how strong you are. This doesn’t change how I see you, you’re still the awesome and badass Mad Burnish Leader that helped me save the world! You just got tricked. And that happens to everyone sometimes.”

There’s another beat of silence. Lio doesn’t speak, doesn’t move, doesn’t even look like he’s breathing, and Galo’s stomach twists. Damn, had he messed up? Did he say something wrong? He hadn’t mean to upset Lio, he’d only wanted to comfort him—

“He was saying there was an ex-Burnish girl,” Lio whispers suddenly. “She was lost and had nowhere to go. She’d been stripped away from her family before the Earth’s rebirth and her family didn’t claim her again after the Promare left. He didn’t know what to do with her and she was all alone.”

Lio turns to face him, expression twisted and crumpled. “It was foolish of me not to question the information. I know that. I should have known better than to come running out to an anonymous call. But I—I couldn’t leave her. She didn’t exist, of course, but if she had, I was responsible for her. And it was that momentary lapse in judgement that caused this whole mess.”

Horror wells up in Galo’s chest. Lio’s magenta eyes are shining too brightly and he’s sucking in deep, shuddering breaths. Galo tugs Lio to him and quickly gathers him in his arms, one arm wrapping around Lio’s waist while his fingers run through Lio’s blond hair.

“That guy was an ass,” Galo says gruffly and Lio sniffs. “Using the Burnish like that—he’s the dumb one in this situation Lio, not you! Loving and caring for your people is a strength. Your love would have saved that girl if she’d existed, just like my love for you helped me save you. Okay? You’re not weak. You’re amazing.”

Lio snorts. Cool arms wind around Galo’s waist as Lio sinks into Galo’s hug. “Are you comparing my dedication to the entirety of the ex-Burnish to your love for me, Galo Thymos?”

Galo falters. “Uh…” Shit. Had that been the wrong thing to say? He’d thought it’d been pretty romantic and encouraging but maybe Lio saw it as an insult?

But he couldn’t exactly go back on his words now.

“Yes?” he says hesitantly and Lio’s grip on him tightens. “I mean, uh, I care about you a lot, Lio. I know how you feel about the ex-Burnish is on a more leader-follower basis and there’s a lot of ex-Burnish compared to just you—but I feel things strongly and I know my firefighting soul feels a lot of stuff for you so—”

Lio grabs Galo’s shirt by the collar, yanks him down, and kisses him full on the mouth. Galo makes a surprised noise in the back of his throat but it’s quickly swallowed by Lio’s insistent lips. The kiss is firm, unyielding, and Galo’s eyes are closing before he registers what’s happening. He kisses Lio back because it’s as easy and simple as breathing. Even when the world is upside down and someone attacks the person Galo cares for most—loving Lio will  _ always  _ make sense.

And just as soon as it started, it’s over. Lio’s lips vanish and Galo blinks dazedly to see Lio’s flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes.

“You talk too much,” Lio breathes as Galo’s head spins.

“Is that...a good thing?”

Lio laughs and it sounds like bells. “Yes, Galo Thymos. It is.”

Galo cups Lio’s face in his hands. Lio’s eyes flutter and something in Galo’s chest flutters in kind. “Does that mean you’re feeling better now?” he asks, caressing Lio’s cheeks with his thumbs. There’s a bruise along the curve of Lio’s magenta eye, a cut at his jaw. What happened during those spare moments before he arrived on the scene? Could he have saved Lio entirely if he had?

Lio hesitates. “I’m...I’m feeling somewhat better. I can’t pretend my pride isn’t damaged. And I detest that someone was able to so easily lure me into a trap.” He sighs. “I’m getting soft.”

Galo laughs before pulling Lio into his arms and swaying. “Nah, you were always soft. It just means you trust people more, now.”

“And that’s a good thing?”

“I think so! It means you’re not so closed off anymore. It means you feel safe. And that is a  _ very  _ good thing.”

“I feel safe when I’m with you,” Lio admits quietly to Galo’s chest, causing a rush of warmth through Galo’s body. He can’t fight the smile that spreads across his face, can’t fight the way he squeezes Lio tighter and buries his face in blonde hair.

“Good. I’m glad. You can always count on me, Lio.”

“I know,” Lio says simply, fondness coloring his tone, and Galo beams. “And you? Are you feeling better? When I first woke you looked ready to rush to your Matoi tech and bring my attacker to justice.”

Galo hums, eyes shutting. Lio isn’t wrong. “Mostly. I just...it really,  _ really  _ sucked seeing you in that position, Lio. I would’ve done anything to get you out of there.”

“And you did. You distracted him long enough for Meis and Gueria to help.”

“But what if they hadn’t come? What if he took you? What if—?”

Lio pulls back and presses a single finger to Galo’s lips, silencing him. “Shhh. Galo, you’re thinning about this too much. You just told me how strong you think I am. I would have escaped.”

“But what if you didn’t? What if he...if he...you know, before you woke up?”

Lio hums. “Then...you would have come to save me.”

Galo’s throat tightens. He stares at Lio, speechless as something twists in his chest. Lio gives him a small smile in return.

“I trust you, Galo. And I know how stubborn you are. With you and me on the same team, no one can defeat us. Right?”

“Y-Yeah. Yeah, you’re—” Galo breathes in deep. His eyes are stinging. “You’re right! Lio de Galon are the number one undefeated champs!”

Lio laughs quietly. “Exactly. So, there’s no need to worry.”

He snuggles close, tucking his head into the gap of Galo’s shoulder. Galo sighs, the tension easing out of him, and wounds his arms around Lio to hold him to his heart. 

For a moment, they’re quiet. It’s just Galo and Lio, alone but together, hearts beating in sync, breathing the same air and basking in each other’s company. Galo could spend days or even weeks like this, just holding Lio and having Lio return his embrace. They already have spent hours like this over the past few months and nothing makes Galo happier. 

What happened this afternoon couldn’t happen again. It just can’t. Galo wouldn’t risk losing this now that he’s found it. Lio’s too special, too wonderful, too—

_ BANG! _

The door flies open and slams into the wall. Galo and Lio jump, a curse slipping from Lio’s lips. There, standing in the open doorway are Meis and Geurina.

Geuria sucks in a large breath and Meis looks like he’s about to cry. “Boss!” they shout in unison.

The pair rush towards the couch. Galo lets Lio’s two generals pull Lio into their arms, watching with a grin as they fond over him.

“We were  _ so worried—” _

“Don’t  _ ever  _ do something like that again—”

“We’re supposed to be your backup! Call us the next time before you—”

“Don’t worry about that guy, okay, we took care of him and he’s not gonna bother you ever again—”

Lio is nearly buried under Meis and Geuria’s attack. His blond hair is ruffled out of place, his cheeks grow flushed and his eyes are wide—but he’s smiling. He’s smiling and trying his best to comfort his best friends with soothing words until Meis and Geuria both start nodding tearfully.

And Galo looks on as warmth blooms in his chest. It’s obvious how much Lio is loved. He’s loved and strong and capable. He’s a brightness and a light, not just in Galo’s life, but for all those he meets. 

And Galo will continue to protect that light for the rest of his life, no matter what.

**-o0o-**

_ lux aeterna _ \- “eternal light”

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for a very special friend of mine who has been a bright spot in my life these last few months, so I am very happy and honored to post this piece for her today <3
> 
> I also wrote this fic as an excuse to write one of my favorite story tropes - when one person in a couple gets captured/hurt/threatened and the other person in the couple freaks out trying to save them. And it was doubly fun because Lio not only has Galo who cares deeply for him, but Gueria and Meis too!
> 
> Thank you for reading! And thank you to my beta xyliane who was able to beta this entire fic in a very short time for me ^-^
> 
> [[my tumblr]](https://decembercamiecherries.tumblr.com/)   
>  [{my twitter}](https://twitter.com/decembercamie)


End file.
